Alien: Rogue Incursion Review (PSVR2)
Summary: Survios made Alien: Rogue Incursion because they could, and what they made is an amazing action horror VR game that perfectly distributes the captivating fun with moments of trepidation. Solid controls mixed with well rounded gameplay mechanics generates an extremely satisfying time under the helm of a VR headset. The explementary graphical fidelity and immersive audio design greatly boost your experience and solidifies Alien: Rogue Incursion as a certified VR classic.
5
Expertly Engineered
In space, no one can hear you scream, but everyone heard me squeal in the room when a Xenomorph pounced on my face. Alien: Rogue Incursion is an action horror VR game developed and published by Survios and releases for PSVR2 and Steam VR on December 19th of 2024 and Meta Quest 3 in early 2025. With a surplus of media under its belt, the Alien franchise seems to only get more popular and relevant with its themes and topics of science, technology, and humanity as time goes on. Now you can witness the hair raising freights and spine chilling jumpscares of the foreign Xenomorphs inside the space of virtual reality! Get a first hand experience of treading lightly through smoke covered rooms and peculiarly silent hallways as you try to stay alive in this engrossing voyage through the inner workings of an uncharted planet.
Alien: Rogue Incursion is instantly engaging by it having quite a cinematic opening and never letting down from there. You play as Zula Hendricks, an ex-Colonial Marine whose will to endure and survive is almost as fiery as her wit. With the assistance of her synth companion Davis 01, they more or less safely make their way to a research facility on the unfamiliar planet Purdan to complete an important mission. Unfortunately for the two, Xenomorphs freely roam this vacant landscape and eagerly wait for you to let your guard down. Zula must use her combat skills to brute force her way through the lurking presence of the aliens and possibly uncover whatever else this mysterious planet may be hiding.
The story brings the familiarity of Alien while also providing a new and unique way to absorb the series. Besides witnessing events unfold in front of you, you can also read messages on terminals spread across the facility that give you a better understanding of the occupants’ day to day lives as well as some interesting story bits so I was always actively seeking them to find out more. Environmental storytelling is also great and I would often scour messy floors and the trails of broken down vehicles to ponder how incidents occurred before my arrival. The pacing between gameplay sections and story beats are extremely well done and creates an addicting factor that not only makes you want to keep playing because of how fun the game is, but to also find out what will happen next in this twisting tale.
Getting around the deserted complex feels smooth and the controls are intuitive. Running toward gaps will let you hop over them and you can crouch to slide through eerie ducts. If you find yourself in an inescapable situation, you can quickly dodge as a last resort maneuver. Reaching onto ledges or ladders and pulling yourself up will allow you to climb and there is a variety of items that you can grab onto and interact with like flipping boxes upside down to empty its contents or being able to put on a hard hat for all of you horror fashionistas out there. Pushing buttons and pulling levers comes naturally in VR and there are a lot of interactables and palpable activities you can do. Pressing the gear button will open up a window of the gear you have collected that you can take out and use like the Datapad that has your map and a list of your objectives or a clamp you can use to rewire electricity boxes.
Zula has a small arsenal at her disposal that can get you out of some hairy situations if you can handle your stress under the dreadful foreseen circumstances. Each item is assigned to different parts of your body. Your handgun is at your hip, you can reach around your right shoulder to grab the pulse rifle, and the stim shots are attached to your forearm if you need to use one to replenish your health. On your upper arm is a motion tracker device that comes in handy if you need to figure out where a strange noise is coming from and there is a shoulder lamp to light up the darkest of corners.
The gameplay is instinctual and immersive. With tight and responsive controls, exploring is fun and not only is there an incentive to traverse your landscape by simply being rewarded with something like extra ammo, but it’s just gratifying to come across these surprising encounters with the enemies. Being a participant in this captivating world is exciting even though half the time the atmosphere is tense. Having to manually reload in the middle of a fight with a Xenomorph hunched over you is as petrifying as it is exhilarating. Playing this game is simply enrapturing; I never wanted to stop playing. All the puzzle pieces of all of these concepts fit together perfectly to create a rich and alluring experience in VR.
Graphically, Alien: Rogue Incursion looks amazing. This is the clearest VR game I’ve played. Corners look crisp and the environments are densely detailed. Weather effects amazed me and even areas that purposefully have more flat features have a nice glossy sheen look to them. Busted pipes and broken machines emit smoke that realistically covers an area making your play time more sinister as Xenomorphs skitter across the ceiling. Graphics in VR games can be sort of a hit or miss and your mileage may vary, but overall, the graphics here made my experience much better. I feel like because of how well the graphics were, I never got fatigued while plunged in the depths of virtual reality.
The audio works in tangent with everything else in the game and is a very important element in what makes this trip into the undisclosed as intimidating as it is. Hearing the clicks and pitter patter of a creature looking for you is panic inducing. The clacking of reloading your weapons or the squeak of wiping blood off of a screen goes a long way and inherently comes off as an afterthought because of how obvious it sounds, but actually enhances the ambiance a glorious amount. Quiet walks through dank corridors greeted with the shrill of a violin screech due to a Xenomorph jumpscare is really delightful and creates memorable moments. At one point, I thought I was safe while I was rewiring a junction box until I FELT something breathing down my neck. The audio truly works wonders here and truly makes you forget you are playing a game.
Final Thoughts?
Alien: Rogue Incursion is a mandatory game to play and a perfect representation of a quintessential VR experience. It has an intriguing narrative that fans and newcomers can easily enjoy, incredibly fun and smooth gameplay, jaw dropping graphics with audio to match, and it does all of this by actually putting you within its domain. The horror elements are enticing and even if you are scared, the game makes you determined to keep playing and have fun without effort. Being in this world is comfortable and you will have a hard time putting this face hugging adventure down. Big things come from small beginnings, and as the most recent access point into the franchise, Alien: Rogue Incursion is definitely a big deal and a must play.
If you would like any more information about the game and want to stay updated on the latest developments then click here to be taken to the official Alien: Rogue Incursion website.
About the Author
Nay Clark Gaming holds a special place in my heart and I never stop talking about video games. I really love all types of games and have an interest in games that have complicated stories and lore because I enjoy untangling the mystery of it all. When I'm not gaming, I unsuccessfully try to control three amazing and incredibly bright kids.
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